The BBC editor at the centre of the Jimmy Savile row around Newsnight, Peter Rippon, has officially 'stepped aside...with immediate affect'.

The furore over what some have labelled a BBC cover up to protect the reputation of deceased presenter Sir Jimmy Savile continues. Tonight the BBC will air a Panorama special which investigates the story behind the Newsnight episode which was canned by editor Peter Rippon in November last year.

The episode featured alleged victims of Savile who came forwards to tell stories of abuse they suffered from the TV star when they were under the age of consent.

Prime Minster David Cameron has issued an official statement regarding the BBC's position. It reads "The nation is appalled - we're all appalled - by the allegations of what Jimmy Savile did and they seem to get worse by the day."

"And so, every organisation that was involved with him, whether the NHS or whether the BBC, needs to get to the bottom of what happened."

"The developments today are concerning because the BBC has effectively changed its story about why it dropped the Newsnight programme about Jimmy Savile - so these are serious questions."

"They need to be answered by these independent reviews that the BBC has established and I'm sure that they will be,"

The former head of Sky News, Nick Pollard, is leading an independent investigation into the reasons why the Newsnight investigation into Savile's alleged victims was cancelled.